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I had just passed my PMP exam yesterday and I am now officially certified Project Management Professional (PMP). And I want to share my experience to help any one willing to take the PMP Certificate.

Before you start:

PMP Certificate is only for those who really have project management experience, it is not required to be the project manager of your previous projects but even being a team member in these projects will be considered in your project management experience.

Eligibility:

Applicants must have 35 hours of specific project management education.

With a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Applicants must have a minimum three years’ professional project management experience, during which 4,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application.

Without a Bachelor’s Degree (or the global equivalent): Applicants must have a minimum five years’ professional project management experience, during which at least 7,500 hours are spent leading and directing project tasks, up to eight years from the time of application.

For more details and information review PMI.org web site.

Training:

Before taking your training, download and review CBT Nuggets - Project Management Professional. I am confirming it is not sufficient but it will give you a general overview and a solid understating of the PMP training material and it will help you not to get lost between the processes and knowledge areas.

I recommend subscribing in the PMI and becoming a member and there is nothing to lose because the subscription fee will be deducted from your exam fee later on.

Try to subscribe for your training with the least expensive available training center. Just make sure it is accredit training center. You only need to get the 35 hours credit for your exam application. From time to time you will get announcement from PMI regarding trainings in discounted prices in your area and it is one of the benefits of becoming a member in PMI.

Try after each training session to review what you took in this session. Don’t memorize, don’t even take notes. Just digest what you took. If you can review the session in advance before taking it this will be much better for you. Usually the training center will provide you with the book

Exam:

Read you PMP book two times at least. Again don’t memorize and don’t take notes. Just read it and try to understand.

Start to prepare your self for the exam questions using PM FasTrack 5 for rita mulcahy exam simulator. Don’t search for more exam engines this one is enough.

Take tests by process group; try to answer the questions yourself before you peek at the answer.

You must read the explanation for each question and it is now the time to take notes and memorize why the answer was like that. Don’t memorize the questions themselves. Your PMP exam questions will be totally new.

Review all the questions two times at least.

Start to take test in Super PMP mode which simulates the real exam and trine yourself to answer the question in no more than one minute. It is very important in your real exam to control the time.

You must fill out an online application over PMI web site; your application must be reviewed and approved by PMI to get the eligibility. You can not register for PMP exam without the eligibility code.

Regarding the application, it is a long and hard process which will take some time from you so be patient and you can work on it part by part if you want and the information will be saved automatically for your next session. And in the project management experience area take a copy of the requested data to an excel sheet, prepare it then you can login again to PMI site to continue your application and use this sheet to fill project management experience area.

I recommend registering for your exam two months in advance for two reasons; first it will motivate you to study seriously, second to book your seat in the testing center. The PMP exam seats are limited.

The Exam is four-hour examination composed of 200 multiple-choice questions, be relaxed and be confidant. The exam is not so easy and most of the questions are new but you can answer most of them if you prepare your self for the exam.

Keep control on time try to answer each question in no more than one minute. At the end of each hour make sure that you answered 50 questions and you save some time for review.

Don’t spend too much time on hard or long questions just choose what you think it is the right answer and mark the question for review later and go ahead with the exam.

After the first 100 questions you must take a rest for refreshment, it is allowed to leave the testing room for a rest especially for long test like this one, go out of the room stretch your self, wash your face and go back fresh to continue your exam. Don’t spend more than five to ten minutes your exam timer will not stop.

If you follow your time plan in the exam you will end up with 20-30 minutes for reviewing. Review the marked questions if you can then end your exam.

You will get the result of the exam immediately, and if you pass the exam the report will start with CONGRATULATION in capital letters which I wish every one of you to see it at the end of his exam.

One last word

The PMP certificate is a very hard and time consuming certificate, it will take more than six months from you to get it. So don’t suspect in your mental abilities . I wish you the best of luck

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You can find all the information which you need about CAPM on PMI.org web site. My advice to you, if you are willing to get a certificate in project management don’t waste your time go and get the PMP. It is the most respected and recognized certificate in project management.

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this post is really an answer to questions on my mind. i have actually been looking for a mentor who could do what you just did. thanks a great deal. please can i know how many times its advisable to go through the PMP CBT Nuggets?

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Can you please clarify for me how deep in line with Project Managment my experience has to be? I participated in a lot of projects for the last 5 years most of them have been accomplished not using even the term "project", some did go avoiding formal stages and etc. So my real question is how to adopt my experience to what is called Project Management practices. I certainly would like to go for formal designition as PMP certification but I am a litlle confused how to re-present my projects in application the way it won't be refused. How did you adjust it in your application...

Thanks to all for any advices...

Edited August 26, 2008 by spsp

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I totally understand what you are talking about. Since you didn’t study the project management previously you feel that you didn’t apply the suggested processes by the PMBOK to your projects. But actually I am sure that you applied these processes to your project but maybe you didn’t use the name of the processes.

For example, how can you finish a project with out the execution process?!!

My advice to sort out this issue, you must know exactly or even approximately the project duration (total number of hours) then start to give average from the total project time to each process. For example the execution process group must take the highest average of the total project time and on the other hand the closing and initiation processes must take the lowest average of the total project time.

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Thanks for all your comments and suggestions, it's reallyvery interesting to read you.

@Walid, please would you like to help in order to make good decision for choosing PMP, and which one will be very adequat and benefic for me!

I'm telecom engineer working for international company, I have 4 years as experience and i think now it's time for me to move up and grow up on my position this why now i'm thinking to have PMP certificat, because as fas as i know this will really help me to grow faster !!!

And what I know, there are several certificat, and the leader on that domain is PMP IBM certificat, please correcte me if i'm wrong.

On my previouns experience i didn't really manage big project but i had some experience on small project ( I had managed some small project); so do you think that I can be able to passe my certificate, of course that i have to prepare my self before (by reading lot of documentation), and is there any pre-request on experience? and what are the best PMP certificat?

For your information, i'm always admire the job of Account Manager so which certificate shall I take in order to be Account manager , in my point of view this should be more related to commercial, therefore it should be PMP on Commercial !!!

Thanks for all your comments regarding PMP. I would like to take PMP exam. I have graduate degree with 4500 hours experience with manufacturing industries.

I have read the “PMI’s PMP® Credential Handbook” and also created account to apply PMP. I have an only two question here:

1. When I am applying for PMP online I have to just fill out those total hours of five (Initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing) Processes? Means I do not have to give any record proof from my employer?

2. When I am applying for PMP online that time if I do not have 35 contact education hours can I attend those hours after my approval and before exam?

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I am just confuse about new version of PMBOK 4th edition to take my PMP exam.

I checked PMI, According to them if you take exam after 1 July 09 you have to consider PMBOK 4th edition.

I believe that i am not ready yet to face exam up before July 09 so I am really interested to get your advice on my following question:

I got unbelievable materials on PMP (more then 10 GB) and i have all good resource for PMBOK 3rd edition but if i will take exam after July-09 and if it it PMBOK 4th edition how my material going to work?

What the real different of PMBOK 3rd edition and 4th edition?

If someone prepare 3rd edition and take exam for 4th edition what he can face issue in exam?

Because of i have all very good material collection on 3rd edition if i think to take 4th edition exam after July-09 i have to wait for getting 4th edition material again from Torrent site or i have to spend lots money (on base of my current earning) so what your advice about this?

Since i am not 100% giving my job time on project management is it enough time to take exam before July-09?

Please advice me.

Best Regards.

Atul

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My advice to you register for the exam and take it before they change it. i think you have time to get prepared. try to register for your exam on July 8th as soon as possible to reserve your seat. on the other hand don't waist your time between too many materials, only read the PMBOK book twice and solve all rita simulator questions twice and you will be ready. if i am in your place definitely i will not wait until they change the exam.

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Unfortunately Project management certificate need a real project management experience and you can’t simply study some questions and take the exam. And in fact this is not bad because it gives the certificate its value.

However, I think you can start studying the PMBOK and within one or two years of projects experience you will have the required credit hours.